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Period: Feb 15, 1564 to
Galileo Galilei
One of the greatest scientific minds in history, Galileo's endeavors include improvements to the telescope, the identification of four moons of Jupiter, and the extremely controverisal view of a heliocentric solar system. -
Francis Bacon
A great contributor to the English Enlightenment, Bacon's work Advancement of Learning became an accepted argument for the importance of empirical investigation. The scientific method, used by scientists all over the world today, is attributed to the work of Francis Bacon. -
Isaac Newton
Regarded as on of the most influential scientists of all time, Newton is credited with contributions to mechanics, optics, and calculus. Possibly best known for his laws of motion, Newton also worked to define universal gravitation and how it applied to objects on Earth as well as larger objects within the universe. His publication of Principia Mathematica is regarded as one of the most important works in physics and applied mathematics during the Scientific Revolution. -
Adam Smith
The Wealth of Nations offered the first real look into what built a nation's wealth and is considered a fundamental work in classical economics. One of his key ideas was that not all consequences were either good or bad, but they were often "unintended" and "unanticipated." This work has given him the title as "the father of economics" and much of his work is still used in modern economic studies today. -
Charles Darwin
Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species. This masterwork sets the stage for the theory of evolutionary biology, and the idea that all life arose from the branching out from a shared ancestor. -
Francis Galton
Much of what Galton is known for deals with his work in coining the terms eugenics and "nature vs. nurture." His book Hereditary Genius was the first attempt to study genius and greatness in people. He was a key proponent behind the idea of eugenics and called for a program to designed to increase the amount of British talent by pairing intelligent and successful men and women. -
Plato
(385 B.C.) Plato founds the Academy, one of the earliest known organized schools of higher learning in Western civilization. Plato is also well known for being a student of Socrates and for his philosophy of "Platonism"; denying the reality of the material world. Nothing new was possible, and art in his time was just mimicry of ideal forms.
